Jogging to the back of the motel, I could see Eve was in fine form, dozing in the sunshine in spite of the cold temperature. Her head bobbed up as we rounded the corner.
“Rylee! You’re here already. I thought you would be longer.” She cocked her head to one side.
“Complications.” I said.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Clinging to the robe, I fingered the inner lining, feeling the nicks where the animal had been skinned, while I debated how much to tell her at this point. I had to go see Doran, and that I would need to do alone. A hip bumped into mine and I dropped a hand onto Alex’s head. This was stumbling block number one. O’Shea moved up to flank me on the other side. And there was stumbling block number two. Call it a hunch, but I had a feeling Doran wouldn’t be all that helpful if O’Shea was hovering, or if I had a werewolf at my heels.
“Yes, I think so. O’Shea, would you take Alex inside?”
“Why?”
Shit, what a good question. “For brownies.”
I gave Dox sideways look he caught with ease. He would be the only one not to stand in my way. Alex started to squeal, his body shaking, “Browniiiiieeeesss! YAY!”
O’Shea took me by the arm and stared down at me. “Give me the keys.”
I pulled the SUV keys out of my pocket and dropped them into his hand. “Here. See? I just want to talk to Eve for a minute.” Keeping my eyes wide and innocent, I knew the agent could see through my charade. The thing was, he had no idea what I was up to. Perfect.
Clenching the keys tights, he backed up. “I’ll give you some room, but I’m not letting you out of my sight. You shouldn’t be on your own right now.”
Dox watched the back and forth between us, finally pursing his lips. “Well, I’ll take the werewolf inside, let you two have your little lovers spat on your own.”
I gasped, shocked that not only would Dox so quickly see my hang ups, but that he would air them out.
“We are not—”
“That isn’t what’s going on,” O’Shea said. “She’s got some demon venom pulsing through her, and it makes her vulnerable.”
“Hey! Keep your mouth shut,” I yelled, striding over to him, jamming one finger into his chest, then lowering my voice. “You need to learn when not to speak, Agent. There is more than one bad ass supernatural out there that would like to see me dead and buried in an unmarked grave.”
He blanched. “I thought you were safe here with your friend.”
“Dox would never do anything. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t others around. There are those that can hear things without being seen, and then would sell the information.” I let out a breath. “Go inside, don’t drink the ogre beer, and I’ll be done in a bit.”
Apparently, my spat of anger did it. The three males who were so very different in so many ways, disappeared back into the motel, two with heads lowered, one with a tail tucked between his legs. I buried my face into the robe, and took a deep breath.
Eve scratched at her head with one talon. “You carry demon venom?” Her voice was low; at least she listened when I said to be quiet.
“Yes,” I said, my mind already skimming ahead to what I was going to have to do.
She ruffled her feathers. “I knew I smelled demon on you. When you woke me up.”
My jaw dropped. Eve had known before I had, she just hadn’t known what it was. Shit, I was going to have to listen more to her.
Lowering her head to mine she whispered, “What is it, Rylee? You have never before asked for my help.”
I took in her size, knowing she could easily pick up and carry away creatures half her size for a meal. But would she carry me?
“Eve, you could pack me, couldn’t you?”
She stopped her scratching and turned large round eyes on me, her voice lowering conspiratorially. “You want me to fly you somewhere?”
I nodded. “Yes. If you are able to.”
Clacking her beak, she hopped around, her delight obvious. “I thought you’d never ask!”
With a quick look over my shoulder, I made sure all three of the guys were inside. Shadows moved in the window, good enough for me.
“Best place will be ahead of my wings, Rylee. You can grip my feathers, or wrap your arms around my torso. It won’t hurt me.”
I licked my lips. “Okay, any other tips?”
“Don’t fall off, I’m not sure I will be able to catch you fast enough, I am no dragon.” Her voice was dead serious.
“Should I be worried about . . . dragons?” I thought they’d been banished to Europe. In fact, I was sure they had; it had happened not long after I’d met Giselle.
Eve ruffled her feathers. “They encroach from time to time, but I have only seen one. I doubt we will have a problem.” Her voice rose in excitement. “Where are we going?”
I pushed thoughts of dragons from my mind and shoved my hands deep into the pockets, tried to look casual. It was as if I could feel when O’Shea was watching me, his eyes burrowing into my shoulder blades. “I’m going to sidle up to you, and then as soon as I jump up, you take off. Got it?”
She gave me a smile, wrinkles forming at the corners of her beak. “Is it a dangerous mission?”
“Not for you.”
The smile slipped from her face. “You would protect me still. I wish to learn to fight, not be coddled.”
This had to be one of the top ten strangest conversations I’d ever had. “You can fight, I promise, just not this time. If you want to help, you can act as if you would like to hurt him. You know, intimidate him.” That seemed to mollify her. “Now, are you ready?”
She bobbed her head and stretched her wings. “I am ready.”
O’Shea’s voice called out from the motel. “Ready for what?”
I sprinted for Eve, gathering the thick coat around me, knowing I would only have one shot at this. She crouched when I reached her side, coiling up in order to launch into the air. Grabbing a handful of feathers, I jumped, throwing a leg over her back as if I was mounting a horse. Before my butt even landed, Eve sprung into the air, her wings outstretched, the downdraft swirling around a furious O’Shea.
“Adamson!”
I cupped one hand around my mouth, the other clinging tightly to the rising Harpy. “I told you not to call me that.”
Anything else he said was lost as Eve and I rose into the air above the Landing Pad. Clinging to Eve, I hoped I would be able to hang on the whole way. Even with the buffalo jacket tucked around me, the cold seeped through, icing over my limbs inch by inch. The heat radiating off Eve’s body and up through my legs helped, but I was still frigid as we rose higher into the colder air. With a shaking hand, I pointed, directing her to Doran’s place. The Daywalker was about to get a visit he couldn’t see coming in a thousand years.
I was wrong; he not only knew we were coming, he was waiting for us.
8
We landed in Doran’s courtyard, slipping through the Veil in order to do so. From the road, to any human eyes, all that would be seen was a vacant lot for sale, run down and littered with junk. The reality was Doran, Shaman and Daywalker, had a swanky place complete with Koi pond, fountains and a large courtyard with a perpetually burning fire pit. But it was all hidden behind the Veil, kept from prying human eyes. Here was a doorway into the supernatural not many people ever experienced.
The Daywalker stood next to the fire pit, lifting a hand to us as we landed. White blond hair tipped in black, piercings above one eye and the corner of his bottom lip, and green eyes that could rival Milly’s for pristine beauty.
We landed with a soft thud, Eve’s wings not even stirring the fire. Interesting, but that wasn’t why I was here.
“Rylee, I thought you would be here sooner,” Doran said, taking my hand as I slid off Eve. I jerked my fingers away.
“Don’t touch me.”
He looked truly shocked. “I thought we were friends now. Don’t tell me you’re upset about last time?”
Eve leaned forward. “May I eat him now?”
Doran’s eyes widened and the Daywalker paled; I had to fight back a grin.
“You would use a Harpy against me?”
“Only if you misbehave,” I said. “As it is right now, I need your help, and you’re going to give it to me.”
Smiling, the Shaman turned and beckoned me to a seat across the fire pit. “I am always willing to help, for a price, of course.”
I was already shaking my head. “Nope, not this time. Faris sent me to you.” I didn’t mention Berget; I doubted her name would have the same effect as the vampire’s. I was right.
Doran sank into his chair and I could see him swallow, watched the blood drain from his face. “Faris, how . . . how do you know him?”
Gratified by the fact the vampire’s name meant something to Doran, I was bothered it scared him so badly. I slumped into the chair across from the Daywalker/Shaman, scooting it closer to the fire, hugging the buffalo robe around me.
“He tried to kill me when I went after India. And he paid me a visit yesterday.” I propped my boots up on the edge of the fire pit, soaking up the heat from the flames. The flight with Eve had accomplished me getting here, but shit, I could barely feel my skin. The wind in the upper stratosphere was brutally cold.
Doran tugged at his lip ring, his eyes distant. “I do not know what I can do to help you with a vampire. He is stronger than me.”
I laughed. “I don’t think anyone can help me with him. I need you for something else.”
He lifted his eyes to mine. “You are looking for Louisa, yes?”
“No.” I let out a sigh. “I have some bad ass venom running through me. I need to purge it. And it seems to be getting worse, not fading as I hoped it might.”
His eyebrows lifted, the rings in the one catching the firelight. “Wait, that’s impossible. You are an Immune.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I snapped, slamming my boots into the rough tile of the fire pit. “Why the hell do you think I’m here, to have tea and biscuits and a lively discussion?”
Eve snickered. “Now may I eat him?”
I glared at the Daywalker. “Not yet.”
He acted as though the Harpy wasn’t looming over him. “Hmm. How did the venom get into you?”
“When I was trapped in a pentagram with the demon,” I said, fingering the blade handle tucked against my side, remembering the moment as if I were there again. “I jumped into the pentagram to get India out, and the demon slammed its stinger into my physical body.”
Doran leaned forward. “You mean that it wasn’t physically present, but a spirit demon still?”
I thought for a moment. “Yes, that sounds right. Will that make a difference?”
He shrugged, threw something into the fire; I watched as silver sparkles danced upward on the heat. “It will change how we draw the venom from you. From what you are saying, I believe it will continue to worsen until either it is purged, or you are able to ride it out. It is too bad there are no other Immunes to speak with.”
A moment passed and I waited for him to expand on his thoughts. It would have all been fine except for one thing.
“Rylee . . .” Eve’s voice was groggy, and I jumped to my feet in time to see her slump downward, eyes snapping shut like a virgin’s legs on her wedding night. Ah shit.
My blade was in my hand before I finished spinning toward Doran. He stood there, hands in the air. “I could not have her hear what I am about to tell you. For me to even speak it to you will cost me my life if I am caught.”
I didn’t lower my blade. “You understand why I’m not particularly trusting of you?”
“Rylee, there is so much more going on here than you know. Politics amongst the supernaturals being first and foremost.”
“I’m a supernatural, and I don’t know anything about any politics,” I said, readying myself for an attack from him. I knew from experience the bastard could move like lightening when he wanted to.
“You do not have a group to be a part of, unlike most supernaturals you are a loner. Trackers always are.” His eyes lost their glimmer, dulled, and he all but fell back into his chair. “I will not press myself on you. Your blood still hums through my veins and it makes me want to help. Lucky for you.”
I lowered my blade to let the tip trail on the ground. “Will Eve be alright?”
“It was a herb; like catnip for harpies. They crave it and it can put them out in seconds.” Now that would be handy to have on hand. Just in case.
“Sit down, Rylee. This will take more than a few minutes.”
Reluctantly, I did as he asked, plunking my ass into the over-stuffed patio chair. “Spill it.”
“Let us deal with the venom first. I will have to touch the spot where the demon pierced you.”
Damn it. “One hand only.” I rose up and walked over to him, heart suddenly in my throat. It was no worse than the last time when I’d had to give him blood for information, yet in its own way it was far more intimate.
Doran stood as I drew close and I opened up both jackets and slid my t-shirt down, baring my breastbone and a healthy view of my black lace bra. The shivering took me immediately.
Lifting one hand, Doran traced the lines of the scar that here, across the Veil, could be seen without using his second sight. The black snowflake shifted and moved as the wind hit it. As if it was real.
“Hoarfrost demon. That’s bad, and it confirms what I already thought. It will get worse for you, the cold growing until you are incapacitated,” Doran said, his eyes focused on the snowflake as his fingers skimmed the edges of it.
I thought perhaps he would try something, but true to his word, he held off. There was no sensation of him touching me; it was if there was a block between his skin and mine where the snowflake was.
“The demon venom, it is not like anything else. You’re lucky you are an Immune, otherwise . . . .”
I nodded and stepped back, straightening my shirt. “Yeah, new ice age and all that jazz.”
“Do not be flippant about this, Tracker. It could still happen. Your immunity is protecting you from something that is beyond chaos; it would be worldwide devastation if it came to pass.”
That was not expected.
“How do I get it out of me?”
“Heat. Lots and lots of heat. You need to sweat it out while being surrounded by the proper protective spells, and held in the arms of one you trust to keep you safe while vulnerable. It is, to say the least, complicated. And it would require more than one Shaman. Which will be difficult with the other four missing.”
I stared at him. No Shaman would ever willingly give up so much information, not even Louisa, and I would count her as one of my few friends. “Faris scares you that badly?”
Everything in the Daywalker tensed, right down to the tips of his spiky hair that seemed to quiver. “If you are not afraid of him, you are a fool. Since he sent you to me, it means he does not want you to have this demon venom coursing through you. He wants you as his own, Rylee. That would not be . . . healthy for you.”
The pause in his words, his stance, everything put me on edge. I could feel the energy swirling around, the tension feeding off our fears. “If there’s more, tell me. Did you take the other Shamans?”
He shook his head. “No. I had nothing to do with their disappearance.”
“Or the fact that Louisa is back and claiming Dox raped her?”
His eyes widened and he pursed his lips. “Louisa would have killed the ogre before he raped her. She is a powerful Shaman.”
We stared into each other’s eyes, locked in a battle of wills. “Tell me where she is.”
“I don’t know.”
I’d had enough; Ricky was waiting on me, I had no time to waste. Flicking my blade upward, I advanced on him. “One way or another, Doran, you a
re going to help me. You know more than you are letting you on.”
He didn’t back away, just let me get closer with my blade aiming for his heart. “I do not know where Louisa and the other Shamans are. Why don’t you Track them?”
“Not the point. I think you had something to do with them going missing. Your talk of politics and your fear of the vampire makes me think you’re hiding something.” Gods, I was starting to sound like O’Shea. What did it matter if I was on the edge of vampire politics? Who the fuck cared who ran their world?
My blade touched his chest, slicing through the material of his shirt. “Talk to me, Doran. You can always say I forced you.”
Laughing, Doran batted my blade away; I brought it back to rest over his heart. “Rylee, I cannot tell you anything or my life will be forfeit. As it is, I am walking a fine edge. Find Louisa and the other Shamans, and I will help you purge the demon venom. On two conditions.”
Always something.
“What?”
Again, he pushed the blade down. “The first is, I want the demon venom we purge.”
It probably wasn’t a good idea to let him get his hands on it, but I couldn’t see a way around this. “Fine. And what’s number two?”
Grinning at me, his green eyes were back to their lively sparkle and he leaned toward me. “A kiss from your lips. No fangs.”
I grimaced. “Seriously? You can have that now as a down payment.” I moved to close the distance between us, but he raised his hand.
“No, at a time when I choose.”
Bloody Shamans were all the same. Even when they said they were helping, they were causing more grief. “Fine. But no funny business.”
He put his hand over his heart and the nick I’d given him. “I swear it. Now, go find your Shaman; I will begin to prepare the ceremony to draw out the venom. And one more thing.” He tossed me something, a sparkling black jewel on a thin leather band. I caught it with my free hand and the cold rushed out of me in a flash of heat. I stared down at the black gem. Red flames sparkled through it, moving as if were alive, not unlike the snowflake. My fingers clenched the small jewel and I lifted my eyes to Doran.
Immune: A Sexy Urban Fantasy Mystery (Rylee Adamson # 2) Page 7